Single Car Accident Victims Can Still Recover for their Injuries in a Car Wreck
Many people are under the mistaken assumption that because they are involved in a single car accident and injured that they cannot recover money for their injuries and medical costs because there is no other car to blame for the accident. This assumption is false. It is often possible for passengers injured in single car accidents to recover from the liability policy of the driver of the car.
A recent accident in Louisville provides an example. The Courier-Journal reports that Sheetara Seewright, 24, of Louisville was killed when she lost control of her vehicle on Tuesday night. While Ms. Seewright was driving down West Broadway between 13th and 15th Streets, she lost control of her vehicle and hit a utility pole. Sadly, Ms. Seewright was killed in the accident.
The actual cause of the accident is not yet known. It is possible that there was some mechanical problem with the car (ie. a steering or breaking problem). It is also possible that there was some other factor that caused Ms. Seewright to have to swerve out of the way and into the pole. It is also possible that she simply lost control of her car and hit the pole. Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said that it did not appear that any drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident. Louisville Metro Police will most likely perform a detailed accident reconstruction to determine what happened to cause the accident. This information and the finding of the police will probably not be available for several weeks or longer.
It was also unfortunate that Ms. Seewright had a female passenger in her car who was injured. Thankfully, the passenger, whose name is unknown, was not killed. She was reportedly taken to University of Louisville Hospital for treatment. Her status is unknown at this point.
However, even though the accident only involved one car, it may still be possible for the passenger in the car to make a claim on Ms. Seewright’s insurance to obtain coverage for her medical expenses and other harms and losses, such as loss of time from work, and pain and suffering. Many people would assume that because she was in the car that caused the accident, that should could not make such a claim, but this is incorrect. She certainly has the ability to make these claims.
If there is a single car accident, the injured passengers will also get their PIP coverage and any underinsured motorists coverage from the insurance company for the driver of the car. You can read about this here.
If passengers involved in single car accidents are injured, they should seek out the assistance of an experienced attorney who can help weed through the police accident reconstruction, the potential causes of the accident and the possibility of compensation for injuries, medical expenses, and other losses.
